"Give me a break. These people are not conservatives. They're not Republicans. They're radical libertarians
and I'm doggone offended by it," Hatch said during a discussion in an
interview released April 12 of the tea party groups challenging his
re-election bid this year.

The former boxer continued: "I despise these people, and I'm not the
type of guy you come in and dump on without getting punched in the
mouth."

But at a delegate open house here Thursday night, Yahoo News caught Hatch, who would benefit from libertarian support at Saturday's GOP convention, singing praises for libertarian-turned-Republican Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas congressman running for president.

Hatch was asked Thursday to comment on the current monetary system
versus the one outlined by our "Founding Fathers." And without any
additional prompting, Hatch issued his opinion of Paul. "I think that
Ron Paul has some good ideas in that area and I do think that the
Federal Reserve should be audited," Hatch said. The senator then
defended Fed chairman Ben Bernanke
as someone "sincere," "dedicated," "smart," and who makes himself
available to Hatch, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

"Ron Paul raises a lot of issues. This is one area where he's, I think, is for the most part right," Hatch said.

"I happen to like him. I like his son, Rand, very
much. He's been a very good addition to the Senate. He's low-key,
soft-spoken, very dedicated to what he believes. And I respect people
who are honest and dedicated to what they believe."

Hatch in an interview with Yahoo News prior to the delegate meeting
defended tea partiers as "mostly good people" and "good, honest
conservatives rightly concerned about what's happening" to our country's
economy.

Hatch, a 36-year Senate veteran, faces nine Republican challengers Saturday at the state GOP convention with former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist and state Rep. Chris Herrod emerging as his top opponents.